Climate Cast

Sitting in the driver’s seat of an antique combine east of Moorhead, Sam Stueber can see the past, present and future of Minnesota’s changing environment. On this day, she’s working in a field of ancient and unspoiled prairie in Clay County, rounding up thousands of pounds of wild grass and wildflower seeds at the Nature Conservancy’s Bluestem Prairie Scientific and Natural Area . It’s one of the...

The colors of fall foliage are important to many Minnesotans, and timing for peak colors is wrapping up in the northern portion of the state. But future generations may get to enjoy those vibrant colors later in the year. MPR Chief Meteorologist Ben Cathey spoke with Brian Schwingle, forest health program coordinator with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, to see how climate change is...

Runners can expect seasonably cool temperatures for the 2026 Twin Cities Marathon. But the early October tradition will be moving back a week starting next year. Race officials have stated health concerns due to heat as a reason for the change. Between 1961 and 1990, October temperatures never touched 90 degrees in the Twin Cities. But, since 2010, there has been two instances of 90-degree tempera...

The University of Minnesota is recognized as one of the top apple breeding and genetics research programs in the country. It developed the Honeycrisp apple and other flavors like the Big Flirt and the SuperSnap. But a warming climate makes the university’s work more difficult. MPR News chief meteorologist Ben Cathey spoke with Matt Clark, the director of research at the Minnesota Landscape Arboret...

Invasive species play the long game. They travel well, dig in to survive wherever they’re dropped off and then start multiplying, making it nearly impossible to root them out. Scientists looking now at the current state of the Strait of Hormuz see a recipe for invasive species spread. Giant ships are stuck in the warm waters there amid the Iran War and they’re collecting critters in the ballast wa...

Derechos are devastating, fast-moving bands of thunderstorms capable of producing destructive winds. Minnesota has experienced several, including the Boundary Waters blowdown in 1999 . But research suggests derechos could become twice as common in a warming climate. MPR News chief meteorologist Ben Cathey spoke with members of the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota in Roseville about the...

If you’ve attended or played in a softball or baseball game this summer, you likely share something in common with a lot of Minnesotans. The intense heat, coupled with the high humidity, has led to delays and sweltering conditions for fans, players, and umpires alike. That comes at the end of July 2026, which will go down as the warmest month in American history. There are plenty of church leagues...

What would you guess is the deadliest disaster in Minnesota history? A wildfire? Blizzard? Tornado? It was none of those. In 1936, a long-term heat wave killed at least 900 across Minnesota . Heat is America’s top weather killer, even in the age of air conditioning and community pools. For the return of the long-running Climate Cast, we wanted to revisit the terrible cost of the 1936 heat wave tha...

For years, Climate Cast has been a place to make sense of a changing planet — explaining the science, the solutions and the people behind the issue. MPR News chief meteorologist Paul Huttner sat down with Tom Crann during the Minnesota Climate Adaptation Awards to reflect on Climate Cast’s roughly 650 episodes and its focus on climate science, news and solutions. “Climate change is a huge problem....

With climate change exposing communities to more dangerous weather conditions and amplifying diseases, experts say more people need resources to adapt. The University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership is working on creating Climate Resilience Hubs to help give people community spaces that can give support both in everyday life and during emergencies. MPR News chief meteorologist Paul Hut...

Burning fossil fuels is one of the primary drivers of climate change, releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, causing changes including increased temperatures and extreme weather events here in the Midwest. But recent research took advantage of a 40-year ongoing experiment at the University of Minnesota’s Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve to study how this carbon is bein...

Warmer waters building in the tropical Pacific Ocean are suggesting an El Nino event developing late this year. Forecasts predict an event range from a moderate El Nino, to a so-called Super El Nino event, which could have dramatic effects on weather in Minnesota, the U.S. and the world. MPR News chief meteorologist Paul Huttner spoke with Andrew Freedman, a Senior Reporter for Climate & Weath...

The transportation sector is a large contributor to climate change, accounting for about 28 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Within that sector, aviation accounts for around 2 percent of carbon dioxide global emissions, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Looking to reduce its carbon footprint, the aviation industry is seeking fuels from more renewable biological sources. At...

Fossil fuels are by far the largest contributor to global climate change, accounting for nearly 90 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions. But there are people here in Minnesota working on solutions for managing those emissions. MPR News chief meteorologist Paul Huttner spoke with Paul Dauenhauer, a Distinguished McKnight University Professor at the UM College of Science and Engineering, about th...

The United States is among the world’s largest beef producers, producing some 12 million tons in 2025. But cattle generate a lot of emissions. The beef industry alone is responsible for around 3 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. MPR News chief meteorologist Paul Huttner spoke with Jennifer Schmitt , senior research scientist in sustainability at the University of Minn...

Minnesota Arctic explorer Will Steger has trekked across thousands of miles of ice in both the north and South Poles, crossing the Larsen Ice Shelves a few years before they disintegrated and collapsed into the sea. MPR News chief meteorologist Paul Huttner spoke with Steger about dramatic changes he’s seen in Arctic regions over the past several decades.

The last time Lake Superior completely froze over was 30 years ago in 1996. Around that time, Lake Superior was consistently at least 75 percent frozen over. Now, 75 percent coverage is rare, only happening about once every four years. Ice on the Great Lakes, and Lake Superior specifically, is a great way to measure climate for our region. MPR News chief meteorologist Paul Huttner spoke with UMD p...

In 2022, The State of Minnesota created their Climate Action Framework, a plan that sets a vision for how Minnesota will address and prepare for climate change. As of February 11th, the framework has been updated. MPR News chief meteorologist Paul Huttner spoke with Heidi Roop, the Director of the University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership, which helped create the new framework, to tal...

NOAA data shows that winters have warmed more than five degrees on average since 1970. And last two years were some of the warmest on record, dating back to the late 1880s. But as the climate warms over decades, so do the 30-year averages for climate variables like temperature and precipitation. These new normals can mask the true magnitude of just how fast Minnesota is warming up. MPR News chief...

Minnesota’s prairie, in the southwestern part of the state, is a biodiverse ecosystem that’s home to buffalo, bees and tall grass. In the book, "Sea of Grass: The Conquest, Ruin and Redemption of Nature on the American Prairie," Josephine Marcotty and Dave Hage dig into the significance prairies have to the climate. MPR News chief meteorologist Paul Huttner talks with Hage in depth about the Ameri...

The University of Minnesota’s Community Climate Leaders program connects students with actionable climate science, impact strategies, and a local network of peers. Christy Marsden, who oversees the program, joined Climate Cast to explain how community members can get involved in climate action.

Earth’s oceans continued to reach record-high temperatures in 2025. And those hotter oceans are fueling stronger and wetter storms. St. Thomas University researcher John Abraham, who reported these findings with his colleagues in the journal “Advances in Atmospheric Sciences,” joined Climate Cast to talk about how the latest research on Earth’s warmer oceans affects the people of Minnesota.

Beneath the harsh winds and temperature of Antarctica, scientists have identified ice cores that give new insights into Earth’s past. Martin Froger Silva works with the National Science Foundation Center for Oldest Ice Exploration. He and a team of researchers have been drilling in Antarctica for ice millions of years old. Silva talked to Climate Cast host Paul Huttner about their research.

It’s not your imagination — the cost of your home insurance is going up . Weather-related extreme events have sent homeowners’ insurance rates skyrocketing. Federal budget cuts to the Federal Emergency Management Agency will exacerbate these issues, particularly affecting state budgets and risk reduction efforts. In Minnesota, homeowners insurance rates increased the last decade due to hail damage...